Arthritis will create "crisis in health care" CMAJ 1997;156:1524 Over the next 20 years, as 9.8 million Canadian baby boomers age, the number of people with arthritis is expected to increase by 50%, according to Arthritis 2000, a national forum involving more than 250 health care professionals and people with the disease. The forum met in Ottawa in April to release a comprehensive blueprint to take arthritis care, education, research and funding into the next century. Delegates agreed that action must be taken to avert a "crisis in health care that arthritis will create as we enter the new millennium." The forum also released a Coopers & Lybrand survey of 1000 arthritis sufferers; highlights included: more than 60% of respondents reported they had developed arthritis after age 40; 81% said they seek treatment from an FP, and only 50% consult a rheumatologist; other providers consulted for arthritis include orthopedic surgeons (23%), physiotherapists (17%) and chiropractors (8%); 62% of those who were dissatisfied with their treatment said "not getting any better" was their main source of concern. Send a letter to the editor responding to this article Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction au sujet de cet article | CMAJ June 1, 1997 (vol 156, no 11) / JAMC le 1er juin 1997 (vol 156, no 11) |